Crystal Princess
by AkaiShinkirou
Summary: When an ancient door is discovered in the dungeons of the palace, bringing forth all kinds of mystery, prince Noctis Lucis Caelum decides to look deeper into the matter. But is that a wise decision...?
1. Chapter One - Darkness

**Chapter One - Darkness**

At first she thought that she'd gone blind. She knew she was awake, but she was surrounded by darkness and couldn't see a thing. There wasn't even the slightest glimpse of light, no matter where she looked. The only thing she was certain of, was the fact that she was naked and that she was lying on an icecold, stone floor. She figured that there was a chance that her eyes just had to adjust to the lack of light. Maybe she would be able to view her surroundings if she waited for a while. In the meantime, she began to touch the smooth stone she was sitting on, trying to feel where she was exactly.

After slowly crawling around for some time, she softly hit her head against a wall and used it as support to rise to her feet. Her legs felt weak and her knees trembled, but she noticed that she could see her feet now. It was still very dark, but she could vaguely distinguish her bare feet from the floor. Her fingers found the grooves between the rough, uneven stones of the wall and she gripped them tightly so she could continue to stand. She didn't know where she was, but then again, was there anything she knew? The darkness somehow felt familiar and it made her uneasy now that she was starting to get a better view of her surroundings. A bit further from where she was standing, in what seemed like the middle of the room, she noticed the vague outline of something huge. Was it a statue? She could not yet see enough, but leaving the wall that supported her was something she'd rather not do.

She took two steps along the wall, her head turned to face the vague silhouette in the room. "H-Hello...?" Her own voice startled her, especially since it seemed to echoe softly through the room. There came no answer, which confirmed her thoughts of the silhouette being a statue of some kind. At least she knew she was alone in this room. After a while she found the courage to let go of the wall and she slowly made her way to the center of the room. Her legs still wavered, but she seemed to have the strength to reach her destination. Being closer to the thing, she noticed that it was indeed a statue and that there was something shiny on top of it. Now that she came closer to it, it started to glow red. First very soft, barely noticeable, but the closer she came, the stronger the light glowed.

She wasn't scared anymore. Instead, she was now attracted by the glowing thing on top of the statue. She could not take her eyes of it and wanted to touch it so badly. The statue had the form of a human, but she could not make out what it was exactly. And right now she did not even think that was important. She was so focused on the red light, that all the rest did not seem to matter to her. The glowing thing looked like a crystal, now that she was almost climbing on the statue to get closer to it. It was a faceted stone, ruby red, a little bigger than her fist, shaped like a triangle. She reached for it, stretched her hand. The ruby light was almost blinding now, but she could not stop. As soon as her fingers touched the crystal, she felt some sort of bliss rushing through her mind and body, suddenly followed by a heavy blow by some unseen force. She lost her grip on the statue and was thrown backwards. The red light filled the room and was the only thing she could see, before she was thrown against the wall, back into the darkness.

* * *

"Hey, Noct! You might want to check this out!" Prompto Argentum yelled, as he ran towards his best friend. "It's crazy down there. Some guard patrolling the dungeons said he heard noises while walking through one of the empty corridors. Did you know there was a door there? It's like crazy ancient and stuff. The metal is one that was used like thousands of years ago!" The excitement could easily be read from Prompto's face as he babbled on about the recent events. Noctis, who just came back from doing something for his father, King Regis, gave his cloak to a servant and looked wearily at his blonde friend. "Could you repeat that, please? But slower and less happy this time." He took of his riding gloves and ran his fingers through his dark, straggly hair. Ignis had been unavailable to drive him to his destination, so he had to use one of the royal chocobo to get there. Not the most elegant way to run around the city, but definitely just as fast.

Prompto sighed, trying hard to contain his excitement so the prince could recover from what looked like an exhausting task. "Look, just follow me, okay? There's ruckus down in the dungeon and I want to know why." He took off, expecting his friend to follow him, and just continued to explain what he knew. "No one seems to know anything about that door. It's like it just appeared, seconds before that guard heard all the noise. They've been trying for hours to open that door, but so far no one's succeeded in doing so. At least I'm glad that I'm around when the cool stuff happens, for once. Your father will be too busy to throw me out now!"

Noctis couldn't help but smile when he saw the broad grin on his friend's face. It was true that his father had always seen Prompto as the one to get everyone in trouble, especially when they were young. Noctis had always been a good, obedient little prince, but then he met Prompto and they soon became friends. And when Prompto started to rebel, so did Noctis. They didn't really do anything bad, but there were the occassional small accidents, like releasing all of the chocobo at once or lighting the cook's hat on fire. Nothing serious, really. It was all in good fun and it certainly made the bond he shared with Prompto a lot stronger.

The things his best friend now told him, seemed unbelieveable. Noctis hadn't been this far in the dungeons, but he knew for sure that it was impossible for someone or something to be down there, without him or his father or anyone knowing about it. Still, the situation was worth looking into.

The dungeon was crowded with palace people. Several guards walked in and out while some young heralds hurried up and down the stairs to inform the king and other important figures of everything that happened. Among all those people, Noctis recognized Gladiolus, another one of his friends. He seemed to notice them too and made his way to them through the crowd. Not so hard a task for someone his size. "Your Majesty, glad you're here. There's something really weird going on here..." Gladio pushed some people to the sides while telling them to make way for the prince. "Your father is on his way because he was busy with other things. Having a royal here to calm and reassure these chickens would be real nice. Ignis is already here though. I told him to get his sassy ass over here as soon as possible when they finally opened that door."

"They opened it?!" Prompto asked, looking surprised at this turn of events. "When I left, they were stil at a loss on how to open that old thing."

Gladiolus nodded as they hastily made their way through the dark and narrow corridors of the dungeon. Somewhere along the way, he took a torch from one of the holders attached to the walls. "They forced the door open with everything they could find. It took a lot of muscle to do that. Apparently, that door was really heavy and it being so ancient didn't really help."

At the end of one of the final corridors, a group of people crowded together in front of the door. Gladiolus announced Noctis' arrival in a loud voice and everyone immediately let them pass. Ignis was the only one left standing in between them and the door. "Your Highness, glad to see you. It's... The situation is more serious than expected. I urge you not to go too near until we know more."

Noctis frowned at those words and became even more curious as to what had been hiding behind that door for so long. With a soft pat on his shoulder, he thanked Ignis for his concern and entered the room. It was very dark, despite all the guards carrying torches. Among all the guards, there was one maid holding a candle, kneeling next to something that was covered with a blanket. One of the guards came closer and stopped them. "Please, your Highness, please wait here. She might be dangerous."

"She?" Confused, Noctis tried to catch a glimpse of what or who was under the blanket. What in Etro's name was going on here?

* * *

_To be continued! _

_Okay, so this is my very first fanfiction ever, or at least one I plan to finish somehow. English isn't my first language, so please forgive me if I've made any mistakes. You can point them out so I can correct them though! :) _

_This will be a story following my own storyline and only loosely based on what's known about Final Fantasy XV up until now. It will feature Noctis and all main characters, but also an OC of mine, who will be the female lead. _

_I hope you guys like this. I did my best! :) I'm still new to all this and learning, so please bear with me. _

_Thanks for reading! _

_Love, _

_L. _


	2. Chapter Two - Light

**Chapter Two - Light**

She could hear voices, but it seemed like they were coming from far away. It was as if she was buried deep underground and had to claw her way to the surface, to the light. Because she somehow felt that the darkness would be gone, if only she could open her eyes. Focussing on the voices, she tried to understand what they were saying, but the words were incomprehensible to her. The only thing she noticed was fear mixed with nervousness, shining through the manner of speech of whoever was talking. But who was it? Where was she? What happened? And why was it so hard to open her eyes?

Suddenly she felt a comforting warmth covering her body and she realised that whoever was out there, tried to keep her warm. It was somehow reassuring to know that she wasn't naked anymore, but not knowing who was now with her in that room, scared her. As she tried to claw her way back to reality, it hit her that she actually couldn't remember anything. She was wondering whose voices she heard, while she didn't even know who she was herself! The thought of that made her panic and she felt that she lost the progress that she had made. She was pulled deeper into the darkness again, feeling locked up in her own body.

At the same time, the voices seemed to panic too, or at least she heard more commotion even though it started fading fast as she fell deeper into the dark. Somehow she knew that she had to wake up, that she had to open her eyes and face reality, but the darkness felt a bit safe and familiar now, while the people out there were strangers and already scared her. She was almost ready to give in to the darkness, when suddenly one voice pierced through it all. Even though she couldn't understand the meaning of the words, she could hear everything loud and clear. It felt like her only chance to let go of the darkness, and she decided to take it.

* * *

Cor turned his head when he noticed that the prince had arrived. Noctis seemed reluctant to just stand there and watch from a distance, trying to convince the soldier stopping him that he wanted to know what was going on. Cor walked over to him and dismissed the soldier with a short nod. He then grabbed Noctis' arm and pulled him away from his friends and all the others in the round room. "Prince Noctis, you must try to understand," the Lord Commander of the Custodes said calmly. "This room has been empty for over a thousand years and suddenly, there's a young woman here, together with a crystal that wasn't on the statue before." He spoke quietly, as if this was information that was destined for Noctis' ears only.

"A young woman? A crystal?" Noctis frowned as he didn't understand. "A crystal like ours? But I... I thought the Lucis crystal was the only one left?"

Cor stroked the stubble on his chin and nodded slowly. "That's what we all thought. Even your father doesn't know about this, I'm sure." He turned around and pointed at the top of the statue. "The crystal was over there and fell down when we entered the room, but the girl... the girl seems to be the only one able to touch it. One of my Custodes has already been sent to a healer after trying to put it in a chest for safekeeping. We had to use her hand to put it in there." His gaze traveled to two guards, standing at both sides of a locked chest. "We don't know if this crystal is just like ours. For all we know, the crystal and the girl could be dangerous and enemies of Lucis. It is too strange that they suddenly appeared here. It can't be a coincidence."

Noctis had to agree with that, although it still didn't make any sense. How did the girl end up here? She couldn't have been locked up for a thousand years and it seemed impossible for someone else to have put her there. "I want to see that woman," he said in a tone that didn't allow any resistance.

Noctis had only just finished that sentence when the body of the girl started shaking and trembling heavily. Taken by surprise, the maid taking care of her cried out and stumbled back, nearly losing the candle she held in her hand. Some of the Custodes drew their weapons and aimed at the young woman, but Cor immediately turned around and ran to them, raising his hand to stop them from doing anything harmful. "We need her alive!"

Noctis saw his chance and followed Cor, wanting to see for himself who that woman was. Covered by the blanket, but taken over by strange spasms, was a young woman with deep red hair, long and wavy. Her face was very pale, which made her red hair stand out even more. He had never seen anyone with such a hair color before. From what he could see, she was barely his age and seemed to suffer a great deal. He heard his friends calling out while running towards him, trying to warn him for whatever had taken over that girl, but he wasn't afraid. Before he knew it, he was kneeling beside her and hesitantly touched her arm. Her skin was ice cold to the touch. Cor also knelt down next to the girl. "It looks like we're losing her. She's in some kind of shock. Go get a healer!" he yelled at the maid. "We need answers from her. She can't die!"

Noctis put his other hand on her other arm and try to hold her body down, to stop it from shaking. "Who are you?" he said, more to himself than to the girl. "Don't give up. You have a lot to tell us. Wake up. Don't give in to the darkness." The shaking seemed to become less severe and Noctis felt that he could somehow reach out to her, to her mind. He felt a strange connection with this girl, as if he could understand what was happening to her, without even being in the same situation. "I don't believe we are enemies. It's okay."

The shaking slowed down until her body was completely still. For a moment, Noctis thought that she was dead. Cor grabbed her wrist to feel her pulse, but he couldn't feel anything. "Argh! Don't tell me-"

Just then, the Commander felt her pulse returning and suddenly, with a great gasp for air, the girl sat straight up and looked around scared, breathing heavily.

Noctis found himself staring into two big, bright green eyes and surprised, he let go of her arms.

* * *

She had never felt more fear than right now, surrounded by all these people she did not know. Some of them held strange weapons and looked at her as if she was a monster, often with the same fear in their eyes. She pressed the blanket against her body and crawled away from these people as fast as she could. There were too many faces, too many strangers. There was not one person she recognized. Even their clothes and hairstyles and torches seemed weird. Being used to the darkness from before, the torches, candles and strange lights these people used, irritated her eyes.

She tried to focus, but all these people made her crazy, even though some of them were just as scared as she was. To her left, a man with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes looked at her with his stern face, but then put his hand on hers. She pulled her hand away from his warm one and barely dared to look him in the eyes. He started talking, asked her a question, but she could not understand. She tried to, she really did, but frowned at the weird sounds coming from this man's mouth. He seemed to realise that she couldn't understand and started speaking slower. It was then she noticed that some of the words sounded familiar to her.

"...Naem?" she tried, mimicking the sounds the man made. He frowned, but then slowly nodded. "Well...yes, your name?"

The man said the word differently, so she kept repeating his phrase as it was the only thing she could say. The younger man on her right began to laugh and she immediately stopped, felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. Did she say something wrong? The two men exchanged a few words, after which the older man sighed and again focussed his gaze on her. "Do you know your name? Yes? No?"

She stared at the man, looking at his lips to make out what he was saying, but the words were too difficult. She understood instinctively, she felt the meaning of the words, even though she couldn't really grasp the meaning of every single one. He wanted to know who she was, what she was called, but she couldn't remember. Now that she realised that again, the panic returned and she pressed her back against the wall, started breathing too fast while grabbing her head with her two hands in a desperate attempt to stop the severe headache that prevented her from even trying to think. She wanted to give that man an answer and knew that he had used an affirmative word before, so she had to use the other one. "N-No!"

She almost yelled it, not able to hold back because of that heavy pain suddenly filling her mind.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Okaaaay! :D So I know my chapters are relatively short, but it's easier for me that way. And faster, too! _

_Thank you so much to the two people who reviewed the first chapter. It really, really motivates me to read such nice comments! It's more than I ever got, haha. _

_I have a feeling my English was a bit off, because I struggled with words here and there, but I hope it's still good! :) _

_Please review and comment! It helps me so so much. I often lack motivation to complete a story, so having readers to cheer me on is very important to me! _

_Thanks for reading! _

_Love,_

_L. _

_P.S. The girl's name will be revealed soon by the way, I'm not going to call her 'she' forever. :p _


	3. Chapter Three - Fear

**Chapter Three - Fear**

"Get away from her, son!"

Noctis turned his head when he heard a familiar, booming voice. His father entered the room with one of their healers. "Take your friends and leave the dungeon. The Lord Commander and his Custodes will clear up this mess and investigate the girl and her roots." His voice contained even more authority than Noctis' voice could ever have and he knew that he had to obey his father's wishes. Still, he couldn't just leave that girl while she was in such pain.

"But father..." he began, standing up to look him in the eye. "She's in pain. Promise you'll let the healer take care of her. And don't throw her in a cell until we know more!" He wanted to make sure that she would be in good hands and that she wouldn't be treated as an enemy. "She doesn't seem to remember anything. Even her own name... If she's an enemy, then she's one hell of an actress."

"What do I look like to you? A dictator? A brute? She will be treated with care for as long as the investigation lasts. You don't have to tell me what to do, my son. I've ruled this kingdom for some time now and I know very well how to handle a mystery or two. But in those years I've also learned that some people can't be trusted. She could be innocent, she could be dangerous, we don't know that yet. So leave and let the right people do their jobs. I don't want you to get hurt."

Noctis knew his father was right, even though it didn't feel good to just leave the young red-haired woman there. He looked at Commander Cor Leonis, who just quietly nodded back and then lifted the writhing girl in his arms. "Don't worry. We'll tell you everything once we know more. You know I wouldn't do anything behind your back." King Regis reassuringly put his hand on Noctis' shoulder, before the young prince left the room with his three friends.

* * *

She couldn't remember when she had lost her consciousness, but when she woke up, she was somewhere else. The room was dimly lit and she was lying in a soft bed with even softer pillows, a strange contrast with the hard stones from before. The sheets were extremely white but warmed her naked body and that was all she could ask for. She saw that the room was kind of empty. There were only more beds like hers to her right and across the room, all with the same boring sheets. She also noticed thin curtains around each bed, all so terribly white. She turned her head, still feeling a little bit dizzy, and noticed a nightstand with a small, simple cup on it. It seemed filled with something, something drinkable. Her throat felt parched, so she pushed herself to sit upright and grabbed the cup. It was filled with a transparent fluid and it didn't seem to smell like anything. Water? She still didn't know if she could trust the people that found her, but she realized that they wouldn't use poison against her if they just had the chance to kill her with other weapons. She slowly tasted the drink and let out a sigh of relief. It was just water.

She didn't want to, but because of her thirst she drank the whole cup at once. Just after doing that, a door opened and a young woman entered. She was wearing plain clothes and carried a plate with some bread and fruit on it. Immediately after realizing that the other person in the room was awake, she seemed to hesitate. The maid then hastily put the plate on the nightstand and scurried away without saying a word. But the red-haired woman wasn't alone for long. She had just began to put small pieces of soft bread in her mouth, when the door opened again.

"I see you are awake," the man said. She recognized him as one of the two men that had been with her when she woke for the first time. He was the slightly older one, with the piercing gaze. It was as if he tried to read who she was by just looking at her. She wanted to answer and it was then that it hit her. She understood what he said, something she couldn't do earlier. She now knew the meaning of the words he used, as if she'd always used this language. Still, it somehow felt like that wasn't the case. "Yes," she said slowly, taking a while to come up with such a simple answer. She touched her lips with her fingers and stared at the man with big, shocked eyes.

* * *

"You understand me now?" Cor frowned and walked up to the girl in bed. She still looked very thin and pale, but then again, she had lost consciousness for quite some time. "My name is Cor Leonis. I'm a Commander of the army of King Regis," he said slowly. "Do you understand?"

She nodded, but she seemed kind of confused by her sudden ability to understand and speak their language. "I do. N-Nice to meet you...Com-Commander Leonis."

It sounded like she still struggled to come up with or pronounce some words, but it was more than she could when they found her. Cor wondered what other curious things this girl could surprise them with. "Nice to meet you, too." He sat down on the bed, next to her feet and looked at her. "You have been unconscious for about four days. I hate to ask, but... Do you know your name?"

He saw fear reflected in her eyes when he asked her that question, but just like him, she seemed to hope that her understanding of the language wasn't the only thing that returned to her. However, sadness and disappointment soon covered her face and she shook her head. "No. I am sorry," she whispered, as she placed the palm of her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Cor Leonis smiled. "We found your name on the statue in the room. We don't know for sure, but our Scientes say that it's the only word that they couldn't translate properly and was used more than once." His smile broadened as he saw the hope growing in her eyes. She grabbed his hand and pleaded. "Please, sir, please! I must know my name!"

"Well then, welcome to the kingdom of Lucis, Meiya."

* * *

Meiya. As soon as she heard her name, she knew it was true. Meiya. She instinctively knew that that name used to mean something, but she couldn't remember what exactly. Knowing her name did not bring back her other lost memories. She did not know her age, place of birth, or why she was suddenly locked inside that room. The Commander also seemed reluctant to tell her anything, as if he didn't want to tell her too much. He only told her that the language on the statue was a very old one. They thought it was a dead language up until now. No one could explain her presence in that room. Suddenly, she remembered something else.

"Excuse me, C-Commander, but... when I was in that room, there was a red..." She struggled to find the right word and a deep frown appeared on her forehead. "A red gem? It...It called out to me and I can still feel its presence va...vaguely. Do you know where it is? I would like to see it..." She still held his hand and she noticed that the man became uneasy as soon as she mentioned the red stone.

"I'm sorry, Meiya, I can't tell you that. You have to stay here too. Eat and rest. We still don't know much about you or the...the gem you were found with. A lot of people are scared of you and King Regis has a hard time hiding this from everyone. He can't let this distract him from his rule. When everything is settled and everyone calmed down, I'll try to let you see the crystal, but I can't promise anything." He rose to his feet and patted her hand softly, yet she could feel more distance in his demeanor. "There are two guards outside for when you need something. You'll be sleeping here with the servants at night. They are pretty busy during the day, but I'm sure they'll help you too. Get well soon." The stern look on his face returned as he left the room.

"Thank you," Meiya whispered, but she had so many questions left that she didn't feel like sleeping at all.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Sorry for the wait! This chapter is slightly shorter but I really hope it's still good! _

_'She' finally has a name. I hope you like it. I know there are a lot of vague elements right now, like how she's suddenly able to understand everything, but I promise those things will become clear one day :p. _

_Thank you to everyone for reviewing and commenting! Really grateful for that. :) _

_My two week break is over so it's a bit more difficult to find time to write now, in between college, homework and my social life. Still, I'll try to write one chapter every two weeks. :) _

_(And excuse me for all the Cor Leonis action and lack of Noctis. Our Commander needs some time to shine, too! :p) _

_Love,_

_L. _


	4. Chapter Four - Prince

**Chapter Four - Prince**

Noctis had been busy for days, carrying out different tasks he had to do for his father. He had a relatively calm and easy life as the prince and heir of Lucis, but lately he could feel that his father was preparing him for the throne more and more. As to be expected, now that Noctis was already twenty-two summers old. It was his duty to learn everything about his country and to actively participate in his father's rule. Still, some tasks were incredibly boring and he kind of missed the time he used to spend with his friends. Luckily, Gladiolus and Ignis were also fairly busy with their responsibilities. Prompto was the only one who seemed to have a lot of free time and apparently he had decided to spend that free time trying to get Noctis to ditch his duties.

"Prompto, I already told you! I have a meeting I need to attend. It's about the upcoming renewal of the peace treaty with Niflheim. I have to be there and you know that." Noctis gave his friend a decisive look and walked past him. "You really need to find something to do. Gladio, Ignis and I all have our responsibilities and we can't babysit you all the time," he said, before Prompto could even give him another tempting offer, which would make the prince realise even more that his activities were tiresome and that he could be doing a million other things.

"I only wanted to let you know that she woke up, okay..." Prompto looked at his royal friend and sighed. "You know, the girl they found in the dungeons, in case you forgot. She woke up this afternoon. Cor already went to talk to her and he's keeping her under guard at the servant's quarters. I thought you'd be interested, now that we know her name and all... but never mind."

Noctis stood still and turned around. "They know her name?" He had been so busy that he had neglected asking for updates on the girl's status. He knew that they took care of her among the servants and that they hadn't imprisoned her in a cell, but that was all he knew. Over time, he'd kind of forgotten that she was still here. Feeling bad, he ran after his friend. "How do they know her name? Who is she?"

"Her name's Meiya and she suddenly gained the ability to understand and speak our language, like it happened overnight. That's all they know, though. Or that's all they're telling us." Prompto ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to pay her a visit. She's not in a cell, but she must feel incredibly lonely. And you saw her, Noct, she doesn't look like a criminal or some evil force, does she? I feel bad for her and I think it's our job to make her feel a little bit more at home. She's about our age after all."

Noctis watched his friend leave and muttered something under his breath. He couldn't deny that the girl made him really curious. She was a complete mystery and he didn't quite like the fact that Commander Leonis and the others were the ones authorised to solve that mystery. He knew that he absolutely had to attend tonight's meeting, as it was very important for the future of his kingdom, but he also wanted to visit the girl and ask her questions. Now that she could understand them, communication would be a lot easier. But maybe he just had to trust his friend. Prompto seemed to have made it his calling to help the girl and make her feel at ease, so maybe he had to let him do that. With a little bit of luck, the meeting would be over early and he could take some time to visit their guest after that.

* * *

Meiya was vast asleep, dreaming one dream after another. Many of them involved the red gem she had seen before she passed out. She heard different voices speaking different languages. There was a woman crying and a man with a loud, intimidating voice. Meiya couldn't really make sense of what she saw and what she heard, but it all seemed familiar somehow. The images were unclear and the voices were coming from far away. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and she felt fear. The voices started screaming and she saw the crimson red color of blood, nothing else.

She woke up screaming, fighting with the blanket keeping her warm. Meiya felt cold sweat on her forehead and arms and she had to straighten the simple dress she had received from one of the servants. She needed some time to realise that she was still in the strange palace of a strange kingdom, surrounded by people whose language she could suddenly speak. On the outside she tried to appear calm, but inside she was incredibly scared and confused. Nobody knew what happened to her and she couldn't even remember when and where she was born or if she had any family. Even though everyone took care of her, she could feel that she was an outsider and that they would treat her as an enemy if they decided they did not like what they found out.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

Meiya hadn't even noticed the young man in the room, until he started speaking. Startled, she pulled up the blanket and stared at him. It took her a while to figure out that he asked her a question and she shook her head. "No, I...I had a nightmare," she said slowly, having less trouble with the new language now, as if resting had increased her knowledge of it.

"Oh, good... My quarrel with the Custodes in front of your door was a bit loud so I was afraid I woke you that way. They just wouldn't let me inside, you know?! I'm sure it would've been no problem at all if only I was a royal or a member of the Amicitia family or something. I swear, lineage is everything these days." The blonde guy came closer and grinned sheepishly while sticking out his hand. "The name's Prompto of the not so noteworthy Argentum family! But I must add that I somehow did manage to become the prince's best friend."

A little overwhelmed by his energy, Meiya shook his hand and gave him a shy smile. "Pr...Prompto?" she tried, struggling with all those weird sounds. She couldn't remember seeing him before.

"Oh by the Gods! Yes, it's Prompto and yes it's a stupid, difficult, completely useless name!" The man really looked annoyed and she felt guilty not being able to pronounce it correctly. "I do apologize, sir. I meant no offense." Still, she couldn't help but smile.

"None taken! You can't help that my parents were complete idiots. I feel honored that my name made you smile just now. It's still better than being called 'Gladiolus', I guess."

Meiya laughed out loud and even though she did not know this Prompto and she didn't completely understand his joke, she felt relieved that someone other than the Commander came to visit her.

"Your name's Meiya, right? It's such a beautiful name. A rare one too, in this area. I'm sure you're the only Meiya I know. Are you hungry? I could get you something good since I'm friends with one of the kitchen maids. She likes blonde guys, go figure."

Meiya kind of liked to hear this guy talk, although he jumped from one subject to another and sounded like he would explode if he ever stopped talking. She realized that she was a bit hungry and nodded. "I would like that, sir. If it's not too much trouble, I would really like some food."

"Of course it's no trouble! And please, don't call me 'sir'!" The blonde patted her on the head and smiled. "I'll be right back with your dinner!" He spun around to open the door, but it already opened before he could do anything. A man carrying a foodplate entered hesitantly.

"...Noct?!"

* * *

Noctis entered the servant's quarters, a place where he'd never come under normal circumstances. Passing by the kitchen and seeing the maid making dinner for their guest, he had told her that he wanted to visit and that he would bring Meiya her dinner personally. Somehow he wanted to make a good impression on the mysterious girl. He noticed Prompto, who seemed to look utterly disappointed.

"Oh well...here's your dinner, I guess," his blonde friend said. "It surprises me to see you here, Noct."

Noctis stepped out of the dark shadows in the room and walked towards the girl to give her the plate. "Yes, the meeting was over early and I wanted to know how our guest was doing, so I decided I had to come see for myself." He smiled softly as he looked at the young woman with the long red hair. She was staring at him, but it was not a curious stare. Her gaze was hard and cold.

"I brought...I brought you some food," Noctis said, placing the plate on her nightstand. He then put his hand on her arm. "I trust you are well?" But he didn't get an answer. For a moment, her gaze seemed distant, as if she saw something else while looking only at him. Then, she suddenly slapped his hand away from her arm and tried to crawl out of bed, away from him.

"Don't touch me! Stay away from me, you monster!"

* * *

_To be continued... _

_Oh btw! I'm using influence of Latin to come up with some words for certain 'jobs' in and around the castle and Custodes and Scientes are examples. So it wasn't a spelling error for 'scientist', although it basically means the same thing! :) Custodes are guards, soldiers, and Scientes are the researchers, the 'smart people' :p. _

_Thanks for reviewing and commenting! This chapter took a while, but I'm still very busy and exams are coming up, so I need to prepare haha. But know that I'm not neglecting this story! :)_

_Hope you all still like it! Comments and reviews are welcome as always. I'll try to get the next chapter ready in two weeks, but if it's not ready by then, I'll probably have to wait a month until after my exams to finish it. _

_Love,_

_L._


	5. Chapter Five - Enemy

**Chapter five - Enemy**

Apparently, slapping the heir to the throne of Lucis wasn't the best thing to do in this palace. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Just when she had slapped the hand of the prince, an advisor to the King had entered her room together with some soldiers. They wanted to pose her some questions, but when they saw the murderous look on her face and her behaviour towards the prince, their whole attitude suddenly changed. It all happened so fast. She could remember being tied up and dragged away while Prompto, the prince's friend, tried to convince the hand of the King that it wasn't what it looked like. Nonetheless, she had seen the shock on the blonde guy's face too.

And now Meiya found herself in a new room. She knew that it was supposed to be a less luxurious room than the first one, the servant's quarters, but it still seemed almost disgustingly rich to her. It was a small chamber built with dark stones. She was sitting on the simple bed with the simple white sheets, but they smelled nice and felt softer than anything she'd ever felt. All furniture, from the tables to the bed to the armoire in the corner, everything still looked more expensive than what she was used to. Coming from a girl with almost no memories, she realized that that didn't mean much. It was just a feeling.

This was obviously supposed to be her prison. No one, except the maid who brought her food and clean clothes, had come to visit her in days. But other than the loneliness, nothing about this imprisonment really bothered her. There was a small window on the right side of her bed and she spent most of her days looking outside, because the outside world looked wonderful. Scary, but wonderful.

There were things that absolutely blew her mind. Carriages that were faster than a horse or a chocobo, lights that were brighter than candles and sounds that were so loud that she could even hear them in her room, so distant from that outside world. Sometimes she could spot some people and they were dressed almost as luxurious as the people she had met in this palace. It was all so foreign to her, but it intrigued her nonetheless. It looked like this world was going to be her new home for some time now, so she had to make the best of it. Maybe the King would let her go soon, when they realized she didn't mean any harm.

But did she? She could remember the absolute hate she felt when the Prince touched her, as his touch somehow brought up memories of a long lost past. In the dream she dreamt moments before that guy entered, she had seen his face. She was certain of it. He looked a bit different maybe, but Meiya could still remember his angry face and his piercing blue eyes turning crimson, followed by the unsettling amount of blood in the same color. Meiya realized that she may have overreacted a bit. However, she couldn't help how she felt when she saw his face. Although she knew now that if she ever wanted to discover this new world or return to her old one (or wherever she came from) she'd have to somehow hide her hatred.

* * *

"It is an honor to be recognized by the great King Regis! Yet, permit me to stand on ceremony and introduce myself nonetheless. Ardyn Izunia, chancellor of Niflheim. And I come to you on this most auspicious of days to discuss the renewal of our peace treaty."

Noctis raised an eyebrow at the unique and rather dramatic character in front of them who slowly put his black fedora back on his head. He had heard of this Ardyn Izunia before. Now that the Emperor of Niflheim was getting old, he had retired from the frontlines of the political scene and left most of the work for this man, his righthand advisor. Why was he here though? The negotiations were already well underway and the Emperor had already sent his other advisors to participate in the peace treaty meetings. Sending his most trusted man could only mean that they wanted to ask for more or that something was up.

Noctis eyed his father, who was sitting rather stiffly on his throne. The grey hairs in his once jet black hair were becoming more prominent each day. The Prince wondered if he too would look that much older once all of the weight of the throne rested on his shoulders. It was not something he looked forward to.

Judging from the look in his eyes, King Regis didn't like this Izunia type one bit, but he kept his regal composure and coughed slightly before speaking. "Milord Izunia, the honor is mine. I trust the Emperor is well these days?" Most of the dialogue that followed didn't interest Noctis at all. It sounded fake to everyone in this room, even to the men speaking the words. All formalities. The only thing that mattered was the peace treaty and its renewal, which was to be signed soon, as long as Ardyn Izunia wasn't accompanied by extra outrageous demands.

"I must excuse myself for barging in like this when I know that the negotiations have advanced quite well already, it's just that word reached Niflheim about a certain... incident here in the wonderful palace of Lucis. Rumor has it that a there was an...intrudor in the palace?" The little smirk on the face of Niflheim's chancellor betrayed the fact that he was certain of the effect his words would have on the King. Noctis' eyes widened in shock and he could feel his father tense up even more. Was he talking about that girl? How could he know that? From the corner of his eyes, the Prince saw the Lord Commander Cor Leonis signing some of his men, while the hand of the known war hero tightened around the grip of his blade. He wasn't alone in his distrust against Ardyn Izunia.

"You must understand that the Empire of Niflheim worries about the safety of the Kingdom of Lucis and other countries it wishes to sign treaties with. All we want is to help."

"There is no need for the Empire to worry, milord Izunia. The incident was taken care of and the intrudor has been dealt with accordingly. I hope you understand that our business is still _our_ business and a peace treaty doesn't change the fact that we and we alone handle our national affairs. I thank you and the Emperor for your concerns regarding our nation, but no problems of international importance have occured. We would notify you if that was the case." Noctis felt a deep respect for his father when he heard him speak. As if the chancellor's words didn't phase him one bit. It certainly satisfied Noctis, but that was not the case for the chancellor. The grin on his face was still present and he obviously knew more than he was letting out on.

* * *

Meiya leaned on the small window frame. Her chamber was quite high up in the palace. Maybe in some sort of tower, but the window was too small to confirm that. She stared at the roads in the distance and the dark and hauntingly fast carriages that sped by. "Noctis Lucis Caelum," she mumbled under her breath. That was the name of the Prince who obviously had some sort of connection to her or her long lost past. And then there was Prompto, the best friend of the Prince. He didn't seem like someone she had met before and she kind of liked his energy and enthousiastic behaviour. So far, he was the only one who tried to treat her as a real person, as a friend, and not as the enemy or some kind of curiosity. It stung a bit that even he hadn't come to pay her a visit in her beautiful 'cell'. Even the Lord Commander had not returned with a Scientes or two to ask her questions. As far as she knew, he was the one who tried to lead the investigation against her. He seemed like a friendly man, but one bound by his duties.

Her thoughts drifted far away as she daydreamed in front of the window, but she was still attentive enough to feel the sudden presence of someone behind her. He or she was quiet enough as she realized she hadn't heard someone enter the room, but it also immediately became clear to her that this person didn't have good intentions. Too quiet, too careful. She saw a hand come up behind her in the reflection of the window and reacted instinctively. Her elbow flew back, hitting her assailant straight in the face as hard as she could. Meiya heard bones breaking and as she turned around she saw a person, face hidden and dressed in dark greys, cursing at her in a strange dialect. He was not alone though. There was a hissing sound and suddenly the room was filled with thick smoke. Through burning eyes and difficult breaths, she noticed two more men coming at her. One jumped at her, bearing a long metallic stick in his hands. Meiya immediately evaded by sliding across the floor to the left, but was met by the other attacker there. He pushed her to the floor and grabbed something from his pockets. It was hard to see through all the smoke, but it seemed like a weapon with an incredibly thin end. A syringe? Whatever that guy wanted to inject her with, it couldn't be something good. As he raised his arm to hit her, she struggled to break free, but the other two enemies came to aid their companion and held her arms down.

"**NO!**" she screamed, and suddenly there was a blinding red flash as she felt a familiar power rush through her body. The three men were catapulted through the room and ended up against the walls. Shocked by this sudden display of power just as much as Meiya herself, two of them just gaped at her, dazed. The other, the strongest with the bulkiest body, gained his feet the quickest and charged at her with an angry roar. "Leave me alone!" she yelled at him and with her words, red light formed around her hand and created a shining red rapier. Confused she felt the blade in her hand, knowing fully well that she had seen this weapon before. But she didn't have a long time to think about it. Her assailant was with her and punched her in the stomach. She folded as pain hit her insides, but managed to keep her feet. Without thinking, she raised her head and charged forward. The grey man tried to hold her off, but was met by the rapier, sliding through his body as if it was butter. Blood splattered on her upper body and face as the man coughed. The same crimson substance covered his lips as he fell to his knees. It felt good to her. However, the other two were back on their feet again and the death of their companion only strenghtened their resolve. Panting, Meiya took a few steps back and raised her sword slowly.

Then all of a sudden the door opened, soldiers entered and a voice boomed: "Capture them but leave the girl unharmed!"

* * *

_First of all: I am SO sorry for the long wait. It's been a year actually. I've just been incredibly busy and I haven't had the time to focus on writing. BUT how amazing is it that this game finally has a release date guys? I'm super excited, even though I won't be able to play it for another year because I'll be in Japan for study. I won't even have the time to play it in Japanese. :p _

_I'll try to write some more this week and keep it up so that I can keep updating for you guys, but no promises. I'm apparently horrible at keeping them! :p _

_As you can see, some elements in my story will obviously differ from the real story, but I'm trying to intertwine it nicely. Those who recognize Ardyn's words: high five! :p _

_Anyway, thank you all for reading and leaving reviews even though I have been absent for such a long time. I do have the intention to finish this story one way or another, so please wait for my slow ass! _

_Or simply put with some Square Enix words: please be excited. *drops mic* _


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